Don't Believe Everything You Read in the Papers
by MrsMCrieff
Summary: What happens when Molly reads those newspapers headlines. Set during Season 3 His Last Vow. Sherlolly all the way.
1. Chapter 1

**Don't Believe Everything You Read in the Papers**

This is set during His Last Vow. Molly sees those newspaper headlines!

**Disclaimer - I own nothing...I wish I did!**

Chapter 1

Molly was exhausted. She hadn't been home in just over 72 hours and she was looking forward to sleeping, for a long, long time, in her own bed.

She had just been finishing a late shift in the morgue when she'd received the text message from John.

_Sherlock's been shot. On our way to Barts now. JW_

For a moment everything in her world narrowed down to just that text. There was no noise, no movement, just a strange buzzing in her head. Then everything in her burst back to life and she was rushing out of the morgue and up the stairs (no time for the lift) making her way through the corridors to A&E.

By the time she got there John and Sherlock had just arrived. She recognized a couple of the doctors and nurses who were working on Sherlock whilst he was being wheeled through the doors towards one of the emergency rooms.

John just stood there, looking at the doors still swinging shut, his hands held out covered in blood. Molly's felt sick as she realised it was Sherlock's blood.

'What happened...John? How bad is it? Will he...' Molly couldn't bring herself to finish the question, wanting and yet not wanting to hear the answer.

John finally turned to Molly looking dazed, 'I don't know, we were at Magnussen's office and then I found him lying there, blood all over his shirt...Molly, we nearly lost him in the ambulance...'

Molly, closed her eyes trying to control her breathing. They'd all just got him back, after two years when he was dismantling Moriarty's network, they couldn't lose him now, they just couldn't. She looked at John and knew she had to be the strong one. The doctor in her came out and she went about cleaning John up, giving the administrators details about Sherlock and ringing Mary to come and help support John. She tried not to think about what was going on through those doors. Her friend Meena was in A&E and had already promised to give Molly any news she could as soon as anything was known.

That has been nearly three days ago. She now knew that Sherlock had been rushed to surgery and had nearly been pronounced dead before they could even remove the bullet but he'd pulled through. She'd spent the last couple of days either by his bedside, with John, or working. Meena had been brilliant, she'd fed Toby (Molly's cat) and picked her up a change of clothes and kept her up to date with any test results etc.

Sherlock had been sedated after the operation to give his body the best chance possible to recover. So she'd spent hour after hour holding his hand, sometimes in silence, sometimes talking to him. She told him about her work, any interesting snippets about the autopsies she'd been carrying out. He always liked her telling him about weird deaths or strange pathology results, she could she the scientist he could have been when they had those conversations. Lestrade had been in a couple of times, first to interview John about what they had been doing in Magnussen's office and later to check on Sherlock and give them a progress report.

It turned out that Magnussen had also been attacked but not shot. It seemed that whoever had shot Sherlock had also knocked out Magnussen, his secretary and a security guard but they appeared to be no closer to finding out who the gunman had been. Lestrade was now waiting for Sherlock to come round so he could see what he could remember. He'd been facing the gunman when he was shot so hopes were high that he or she would soon be identified.

Mary had been a tower of strength for both John and Molly, fetching coffees and food, reassuring them that Sherlock was strong and that no major organs had been hit so he should make a full recovery now the bleeding had been brought under control.

They had started to reduce the sedation drugs over the last couple of hours so Sherlock was expected to wake up soon. Molly had left John with him and had decided to come home to shower and sleep before going back to visit. She was wondering what to take Sherlock as a gift as she let herself into her flat. Grapes and flowers were too cliched, novels or magazines would be sneered at. Maybe she could take in some of her old Pathology Monthly magazines, she mused.

Toby immediately wound himself around her ankles trying to trip her up as she made her way to the kitchen to clean out his bowls and putting him down some fresh food and water. She threw the post and newspapers on the kitchen table and thought about how she would make a nice cup of tea and some toast before hitting the shower and then bed.

As the papers landed on her table the top one unraveled and when she saw the headline she felt as though she had been stomach punched. There in big bold black next to a photo of Sherlock in the deer stalker hat was the headline:

_Shag-A-Lot Holmes._

**I always wondered how Molly would react to those newspapers! Let me know what you think so far. Review, review, review...pretty please. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer - I still own nothing**

Chapter 2

Sherlock came too gradually. He could hear the beeping of machines around him and the bustle of hospital life. There was a dull, throbbing in his chest and he felt as though he had gone ten rounds in a boxing match. His mouth was dry and it hurt to swallow.

'Sherlock, Sherlock it's me John. You're in hospital mate, you're going to be alright'.

It started to come back to him then, pretending with Janine, travelling up in the lift with a very disapproving John (didn't he realise how important this case was), finding Janine and the guard unconscious and then...

Sherlock came to with a start, 'Mary...' he croaked. 'Its alright she's here too, think she's gone off to get me another coffee. It's been two days, we've been worried about you. I'll go let one of the nurses know you're awake. Don't go anywhere!' He joked, smiling at him as he left.

Mary, it was Mary. Sherlock knew he needed to think this through before it spoke to anyone else about it. How could he have been so blind as to not see her history, who she really was.

Maybe he could discuss it with Molly first...oh, where had that thought come from. He frowned. Why was he thinking of Molly, wondering where she was?

'Caring is not an advantage' Mycroft had once said but advantage or not Sherlock knew that, in what he thought were his dying moments, caring was all that had mattered. He remembered that strange dreamlike conversation with Moriarty as he lay dying on the surgery table. It had been caring for John that brought him back...but it had been Molly that he had seen first after he had been shot. It was her voice that he listened too, her voice that he had trusted. She had saved his life...again! And in that moment between life and death when nothing else mattered he had known that he cared for her, that she counted and as more than just a friend.

John came back with one of the doctors, an irritating guy with a patronising bedside manner. The next few hours were spent with them running various tests, increasing his morphine and John asking him what he could remember. He couldn't tell him it was Mary, he needed to be able to go to his mind palace and deconstruct every interaction with Mary and see what he had missed. She must be very good to have fooled him, CIA trained no doubt but not with them now, looks like she'd gone freelance and now what, has she given it all up to marry John or is this just another ruse.

Sherlock knew he needed to resolve the John and Mary situation before he could think about Molly. As soon as he'd thought that he wondered where she was. He'd been awake now for most of the day and was surprised she hadn't come to see him. John had already told him about how she had sat with him hour after hour whilst he'd been sedated.

It was at that moment that the door opened and in walked Janine, looking none the worse for wear considering she had recently been knocked out, and she was carrying a stack of newspapers.

MHMHMHMHMHMHMH

Molly sat on the floor of her flat surrounded by newspapers and tissues. After the shock of that first headline she'd gone out to the local newsagents and bought copies of all the papers with any reference to Sherlock and this 'girlfriend' that he'd had.

She'd read everything, until she'd felt sick from exhaustion and hurt. Phrases kept whirling around in her head, _seven times a night, he made me wear the hat, he certainly wasn't a virgin..._on and on they went mocking her.

Molly couldn't believe how stupid she had been. She'd known for a while now that she was his friend and she'd also known that it would never be anything more than that. She'd convinced herself that that was because he was Sherlock, he didn't do relationships, he was gay or more probably asexual. And that was OK, it was alright to think to herself that she couldn't have him when she knew no one else would either.

But this, this just proved how delusional she must have been. According to this girl, Janine, they had been dating for several weeks and he had even proposed. Fresh tears welled up into Molly's eyes, sliding down her cheeks. She'd recognised her photo of course. They must have met at John and Mary's wedding and been going out ever since. Whilst she had been breaking up with Tom, Sherlock had been moving on with the maid of honour! Molly briefly wondered if Janine had known about the drugs he'd been taking around the same time but she couldn't bring herself to muster up that much sympathy for the girl. After all she'd just splashed their relationship all over the tabloids humiliating Sherlock as well as herself.

The ultimate truth was that Sherlock was neither gay nor asexual he just didn't want her! It was time she faced the truth and found some way to get on with her life without Sherlock in it. That meant going cold turkey, no visiting him in the hospital, no allowing him in the morgue, no mooning over him like a lost puppy. She needed to grow up and grow a spine!

She sat up, drying her eyes and surveying the mess. She still needed that shower and desperately needed some sleep. She gathered up all the newspapers and carried them through to the kitchen before depositing them and all her hopes into the recycling bin.

**If you like, please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Sherlock had been back in hospital, for the second time, for about five days. The first couple had passed in a blur of machines and morphine as the doctors made sure there was no further internal bleeding from his wound. There had been much tut tutting from the doctors about him going AWOL for a couple of days but he had just found that tedious and irritating.

He had no regrets about leaving hospital to resolve, or try to resolve, the Mary situation. She had warned him not to say anything to John but after lying to him for two years about his supposed death he was not about to lie to him again. So it was all out in the open even if that meant that John had temporarily moved back into Baker Street and was currently ignoring any texts that he received from Mary.

Sherlock still needed to figure out a way to force Magnussen's hand re the blackmail of Mary but he was limited re what he could do in hospital which left him bored. He had spent some time in his mind palace reworking it based on his new found decision with regards to Molly. He had gone over all their previous interactions, analysed her likes and dislikes and worked out how long it would be before John moved out and he could reasonably expect Molly to move in but this led him to his current dilemma. Molly had yet to visit him and he didn't know why she hadn't been.

He was yet again quizzing John who was starting to get suspicious.

'So, why exactly are you so bothered that she hasn't been?'

'I'm not BOTHERED, it's just out of character. We're in the same building, she's had a crush on me for years now, why would she not take the opportunity to come and spend time with me.'

John sighed. 'Well she did spend quite a lot of time with you last week when you were sedated. Maybe she prefers you unconscious you're less likely to be obnoxious to her.' John laughed at his own joke but Sherlock just glared at him.

'I don't know mate, why don't you just try asking her?' he said as he picked up his coat and headed for the door. 'I'm in work tomorrow morning but I'll call round just after lunch, OK?' Sherlock didn't respond, just lay there in his prayer pose thinking. 'OK then, don't know why I bother!' said John as he left.

Ten minutes later Sherlock asked John to pass him his phone from the bedside cabinet. He held out his hand expectantly but finally cranked an eye open when there was no response. 'Typical, he's never here when I need him' he grumbled as he reached for the phone himself.

_Come visit me - SH_

Sherlock sent the text to Molly and waited expectantly. He had timed it to arrive just before her normal break so she should be here soon. He was surprised therefore to receive the following message two minutes later:

_No - MH_

Hmmm, maybe he'd been too blunt. He could almost hear John in his head saying 'not good, Sherlock'.

_I'm bored, I need you - SH_

There, that should appeal to the compassionate side of her.

_No - MH_

Right, this called for the ultimate plea.

_Please - SH_

This time it took five minutes for the reply to come back.

_No - MH_

SHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSH

Molly, felt guilty. She couldn't believe she had turned down Sherlock's request. Part of her felt empowered for not jumping when he texted but, damn her, she still loved him and ached to see him. 'I must stay strong, I must stay strong' she chanted.

'Strong about what?' Asked Sherlock as he strode into the morgue barefoot wearing nothing but a pair of striped pyjama bottoms his blue dressing gown billowing behind him. His chest was bare apart from the dressings covering the gun shot wound.

Molly felt faint, her heartbeat stepping up a notch as she stared open mouthed at him. 'What are you doing out of bed?' she gasped.

' I was bored and you wouldn't come and see me. Why not?'

Molly's hands fluttered at her sides, 'I've been busy...' She trailed off wincing at the lie which wouldn't have fooled most people let alone the worlds only Consulting Detective.

Sherlock glanced around the room, taking in the files on Molly's desk, the notebook open by her microscope. It took him only a couple of seconds to be sure of his deduction.

'You're lying! You've done 4 autopsies in the last two days. Your paperwork is all up to date and you've even had time to do some further work on your latest paper for Pathology Monthly'.

Molly was surprised 'you know about those?...of course you do' she finished when he raised his eyebrow.

'So, why haven't you been to see me?' Sherlock frowned turning his attention to Molly herself. Her hair was up in its normal ponytail meaning she wasn't trying to attract anybody. She normally tried out different hairstyles then like the side parting she'd tried out to attract him. Her face was pale, she'd lost one, no two pounds and her eyes had circles under them and were slightly red rimmed, she was upset then, not sleeping, probably crying a lot. There were cat hairs on her trousers so nothing wrong with her cat Toby. There was a smudge on her thumb, ink, black...newspaper ink...oh!

Molly knew the moment he'd got it. She'd seen him turn his deductive powers on her and wondered what he would see and what he thought. All of a sudden he looked in her eyes and his mouth formed an 'O'.

'Newspapers,' he said, 'you've been reading newspapers'.

Molly started babbling, trying to divert him away from how upset she had been at him having a girlfriend. She didn't want to see any look of pity especially from him. 'I was just giving you space, I mean I didn't want to bump into Janine if you were trying to get her back...'

Sherlock snorted. 'Get her back, you have no idea Molly, I couldn't wait to be rid of her. The whole thing was just for a case, I felt nothing for her.'

As soon as he saw Molly's face he knew that somehow he had said the wrong thing. Why were human emotions so difficult for him to understand?

'You felt nothing for her! You mean you used her, played with her emotions?' Molly spoke, her voice rising in anger. 'You just can't treat people like that Sherlock, that poor girl.'

'It was for a very important case Molly. Janine was the key to getting into Magnussen's office...'

Molly cut him off 'You slept with her, and got engaged to her...to get into an office...'

'No, well yes. I mean, I didn't sleep with her' this conversation was not going the way Sherlock expected. He needed to find someway to distract Molly, to give him back some advantage...every time he opened his mouth he seemed to be digging himself in further. He decided to appeal to Molly's caring side. He was already feeling the effects of his over exertion both in getting down to the morgue (he'd left the wheelchair outside so as to make a dramatic entrance) and standing for so long so it was more of an exaggeration than a lie.

He stumbled backwards a bit until his back hit the nearby pillar, his eyes started to close as he slid down the pillar to the floor.

He heard Molly exclaim and then she was by his side her hand on his forehead checking his temperature, her other picking up his wrist to check his pulse. It was already slight elevated from his efforts in getting down to the morgue and it spiked a bit higher with her hands on him.

He opened his eyes slightly to see Molly's concerned face close to his. Small lines had appeared between her eyes from her worried frown, her hair coming out of her ponytail slightly. To Sherlock in that moment she looked like an angel. The scientific part of his brain wondered if he was more ill than he had realised but the emotional side was eager to capitalise on this change.

He suddenly reached out and caught the back of her neck, leaning in quickly he captured her lips in an intense kiss. He felt her stiffen slightly before relaxing. Her lips were smooth and warm and her mouth felt so right against his. How had he not done this sooner, he felt his mind relaxing for the first time in years just before Molly pushed him away with a shocked and hurt look on her face. 'Oh my God Sherlock. You can't keep doing this, you can't keep using people to get your own way. It's cruel.'

'What, no, Molly I wasn't using you, yes I used Janine but not you, not anymore. You saved my life and it's changed me, changed how I see you.'

Molly looked at him suspicion across her features. 'That was over two years ago and I haven't seen much change.'

'I wasn't talking about two years ago Molly, though you did save me then as well. I'm talking about when I was shot last week.'

'How? I wasn't even there. How could I have saved you?' She exclaimed in exasperation.

'You were there Molly. When I was shot your face was the first thing I saw, your voice was the one I heard and trusted. It was you Molly telling me how to react, which way to fall, how to control the shock.' Sherlock's voice was soft his eyes catching hers, his hand cupping her face. 'It was you Molly, and in that moment when I thought I was going to die I realised it had always been you and I'm sorry. Sorry that I used you, sorry that I was too stupid to realise that caring is an advantage not a disadvantage.'

Molly couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had never seen Sherlock, conscious, with such a soft expression on his face and in his eyes. She wanted so hard to believe what he was saying but she was still nervous.

'If you are just manipulating me Sherlock, I will never forgive you,' she warned, the hope and desperation starting to slip into her voice.

'I'm not, I swear.' He stated simply before leaning in, slowly this time, to catch her lips in what was simply the best kiss of her life.

**That's it for this story but at the request of my friend B there will be a one shot sequel/epilogue with a higher rating which looks at the happenings at Christmas when Sherlock shoots Magnussen and is sent away. Should be up in about two weeks. **

**Hope you enjoyed this. If you did please review.**


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